"Amebocytes and slugs" is a metaphor I will be using regularly in this blog. The metaphor will shed light on an amazing range of phenomena including: the Cold War, gender issues, social security, and entrepreneurism. The metaphor is based on the following excerpt from Lewis Thomas' Lives of a Cell:
"Slime mold cells do it all the time...in each life cycle. At first they are single amebocytes swimming around, eating bacteria, aloof from each other, voting straight Republican. Then a bell sounds. and acrasin is released by special cells toward which the others converge in stellate ranks, touch, fuse together and construct the slug, solid as a trout. A splendid stalk is raised, with a fruiting body on top, and out of it comes the next generation of amebocytes, ready to swim across the same moist ground, solitary and ambitious."
Lewis Thomas, The Lives of a Cell, Viking, 1974
Thomas is describing what I Believe to be universal system processes: individuation (amebocyte) in which system parts function relatively independent of one another, and integration (slug) in which these parts function as components of integrated wholes.
Although system survival depends on some balance of these two processes, systems base their survival bets on one pole or the other; that is, they develop patterns that are either more amebocytes-like or more slug-like.
We have amebocyte social systems (free market) and slug social systems (socialism).
We have amebocyte personalities (loners) and slug personalities (connectors.)
We have amebocyte organizations (minimal hierarchy, entrepreneurial, meritocracies) and slug organizations (more hierarchical, integrated).
We have amebocyte stereotypes/archetypes (male) and slug stereotypes/archetypes (female).
Two essential points:
1.There are gains and costs to whatever survival pattern a system (person, organization, nation) chooses.
2.Because we humans tend not to see these processes systemically, we politicize the patterns, exaggerating the benefits of our pattern, minimizing its costs, and demonizing adherents of the other pole.
I'll be recommending that you refer to this entry as background to subsequent entries.
